Pump or the like



PUMP OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 21, 1924 Patented July 6, 1926.

UNITED STATES DELAWARE.

ATENT OFFICE.

NOAH W. HUMPHBEY, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO ALIJIS CHALMEBBMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF PUMP ORTHE LIKE.

Application filed January 21, 1924. Serial No. 687,503.

This'invention relates in general to fluid at al more particularrelation to fluid pumps wherein either the rotor, or both the rotor andcasing, are provided with a protective coating or liner for the purposeof preventing or reducing erosion of the structure of these elements.

The matter of erosion of parts of fluid pumps and the like has been aserious problem, especially when the material handled is of an acid or asandy or gritty nature. The latest improvements in connection withapparatus adapted for this general class of work includes the provisionof a liner for the casing of the apparatus, or preferably for both thecasing and rotor, of a relatively soft, resilient rubber, a materialwhich has decided acid resistant qualities and, furt er, is highlyresistant to the abrading or erosion action of sandy or gritty material.A commercial type of pump of this general character is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 1,404,717, granted to me on Jan. 24, 1922, the pumptherein disclosed including liners or coverings of relatively softrubber for both the casing and impeller, the liner for the casingelement being preliminarily assembled on and anchored to a relativelythin, flexible sheet metal backing plate of a configuration closelyapproximating that of the inner Wall of the casing.

One specific feature and object of the present invention is concernedwith an improved method and construction for assembling and holding thecasing liner in operative position in the casing. Highly satisfactorycommercial results as to cost of manufacture and facility of assemblingthe parts, are secured in apparatus of this type through the provisionsdisclosed herein, in accordance with which the backing plates of theliner are in engagement with and supported by the casing wall only atspaced points, preferably along machined surfaces, this arrangementpermitting utilizing the flexibility of the liner sections in assemblingand holding the parts, while still providing the efficientsupport forthe liner when the parts are in amembled condition.

other material having an eroding or other deleterious eflect upon themetal of the backing plate and the casing. And the disclosure hereinrelates particularly to provisions for eflectively gasketing or sealingagainst the admission of fluid to the space between the casing and theliner or its bachn plate at the points of connection to the in et andischarge conduits to the casing.

These and other objects and advantages are attained by'the presentinvention, various novel features of which will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, disclosing an embodiment of the invention, and

will be more particularly pointed out in the claims.

The present invention finds particular utility in connection withapparatus embodying the invention of A. L. Welsh, disclosed in hisapplication, Ser. No. 687,483, filed January 21, 1924:, which relates tothe provision of coacting flanges on both the rubber and metal parts ofthe casing liner, these flanges being assembled and held between flangeson the casing sections for the general purpose of facilitating and morecurely holding the liner sections in opetive position within the casing.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a rubberlined pump embodying features ofthe present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the.

discharge portion of the pump disclosed in Fig, 1. c

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section showing a detail 6f the presentinvention.

As disclosed in the drawings, the main i outer casing of a centrifugalpp is formed in two sections 2, 3, a rotor or ampeller 4 within thecasing, an inlet or suction page 5 leading into the casing in line withthe center of the impeller, and an annular discharge chamber 6surrounding the impeller and communicating with a tangential dischargeconduit 7.

A bearing 8 for the shaft 9 of the impeller is carried by a base orframe 10, and the casing of the pump is supported from the end of thisbase or frame. The inner wall of the casing sections 2, 3, are protectedby sections of a soft rubber liner 12, 13,

respectively, which are preferably preliminarily secured or anchored asby vulcanizing to metal backing plates 14, 15, respectively. The casingsections with the liner sections assembled therein, are clamped and heldtogether by means of peripheral flanges 16, 17 on the casing sectionswhich are rovided with openings for receiving clamping bolts 18 whichalso pass through flanges 21, 22 of the rubber liner sections andflanges 23, 24 of the metal backing plates, and serve to hold thesesections in assembled condition within the casing wherein they form acomplete fluid-tight covering for the interior of the casing. Sheetmetal disks or clamping plates 25 may be inserted between the casingflanges and the flanges on the liner sections to prevent distortion ofthe latter. Removal of the casing secti'on 2-with its liner sectionpermits free access to all portions of the interior of the casing,without necessitating disturbance of the pump supporting section 3.

The impeller 4 comprises a series of outwardly directed vanes extendingfrom the suction passage 5 to the discharge chamber 6, and a hub formedintegrally with the vanes and constituting a support therefor. The hubportion of the impeller extends in to a tubular portion of the casingsection 3 at the inner side thereof opposite the inlet 5, the open endof this tubular portion be ing closed by a stufling box 28 through whichthe shaft of the impeller passes in fluid tight relation. The entireimpeller, including the vanes and the hub, is provided with a coating 31of soft rubber or 'similar resilient material which is adapted toprotect the structure of the impeller against the action of grittysubstance or chemicals having an erosive efiect, which may be containedin the fluid passing through the pump. The in1- peller hub is bored tosnugly fit the reduced end portions 32, 33 of the impeller'shaft, and

is drivingly connected to the shaft by means of one'or more keys 34located in suitable key ways in the hub and shaft.

Means are provided to permit adjustment of the impeller 4 relative tothe casing sections after the pump is assembled, these means beingoperable from the exterior of the casing and, besides performing thisadjustment function serving to effect removal of the impeller from itsshaft, when the casing section 2 is removed. This impeller adjusting andremoving means comprises an annular sleeve 35 surrounding the shaft andextending through the stuffing box 28. The end of the sleeve adjacentthe hub is provided with an external left hand screw thread 36 coactingwith an internal screw thread on the hub. The portion 37 of the coating31 at the inner side of the hub snugly fits the peripheral surface ofthe sleeve 35, thereby preventing fluid from entering the screw thread36. The end of the sleeve 35 remote from the impeller is rovided with aninternal right hand screw t read coacting with anexternal screw threadon the ad'acent portion of the shaft. This threa ed portion has a seriesof longitudinal recesses 38 within one of which a set screw 39, passingtransversely through the sleeve, ma coact to lock to the shaft inadjusted position. The internally threaded end of the sleeve 35 islocated between the gland of the stufiing box and the bearing, and isprovided with one or more holes 41 to receive a tool for rotating thesleeve relative to the shaft, when 'the set screw 39 is removed. Thesleeve 35, besides serving for adjusting and removing the impeller 4, ispreferably formed of suitable wear-resisting material so as to provideprotection for the portion of the shaft within the sleeve.

Instead of having the side walls of the backing plates for the linersections supported throughout the entire surface thereof on the innerwall of the casing sections, the sections of the backing plates engageand are supported by the casing only at spaced points which are preferaly accurately machined to provide close engagement and efficient supportof the line: by the casing. These surfaces-or ads on the casing sectionswith which t e cooperative surfaces on the backing plates engage, areindicated at 45, 46 on the casing section-2 and at 47, 48 on the casingsection 3, and they are preferably of annular form and, hence, may bereadily machined, and they may be considered as gauge points forproperlypositioning the liner sections. The backing lates may be made ofthe same size as or slightly larger" than the interior of the pump, andbe,- ing comparatively thin and flexible, they will readily, snugly seatthemselves on the pump casing, properly conforming in shape to that ofthe interior of the casing and thus leaving annular spaces 49, 50 and49, 50 between themselves and the casing.

When the casing sections are secured together by means of the bolts 18passing through the casing flanges and the flanges of the linersections, the coacting ortions of the liner sections areeffectivelyrought into engagement with and are sup orted by the gauge points ormachined pa s on the inner wall of the casing section. If desired,

plates of the liner sections and the inner substance in the'fluidpassing through the It will be apparent that the provision of suitableseats or finished high spots or surfaces of engagement between thebacking wall of the casing sections greatly reduces the cost ofmanufacture and it assists in securin accurate centering and in insuringthe 0 taining and maintaining of proper clearances.

As indicated more in detail in Figure 3,

as indicated at 5'1, and the rubber liner extends anially beyond the endof this tubular (ill portion of the backing plate, preferably to orbeyond the outer surface of the inlet portionof the casing section; andthe material of the rubber liner at this point surrounds the beveledportion of the backing plate, the efiect being that the outer tubu larend of this backing plate section is embedded in the rubber material ofthe liner, being anchored therein as by initial vulcanizing. Thematerial of the liner, is in substantial engagement at this pont withthe body portion, or pads thereon, of the wall of the inlet portion 5 ofthe casing section.

The amp is connected to an nlet conduit 5?, pre erably by means of anend flange 54 on the conduit and a soft rubber or other resilient gasket56 disposed between the flange 5t and the outer surface of the tubularportion 2% of-the rubber liner and the tubular inlet 5 of the casing.When the inlet conduit is bolted or otherwise clamped in operativeposition through its flange, the parts edectively seal and prevent theentrance of fluid to the space between the liner and its backing plateand the inner wall of the casing section, 1 g

At the tangential discharge 7 of the pump casing, the semicircular endsof the casing sections and the liner there-tor are clamped in operativepositionby means of the peripheral flanges on the casing and thecorresponding flanges on the liner sections which areheld between thecasing flanges. As indicated at 52 in Fig.2, the outer end. or thetubular portion of the backing plate sections is beveled and terminatesshort of the cortion of the liner sections is positioned and supportedin the discharge 7 preferably through engagement with an interiorannular rib or spaced lugs 58 on the inner surface of the casing adacent the flange portions 59; The rib or lugs 58, and the engagementbetween the same and the liner sectionsm'ay be considered the equivalentof additional gauge oints for positioning the liner sebtions witliin thecasing.

A discharge conduit 61 is secured in operative position relative to thetangential discharge 7 of the casing, preferably by means of a flange 62on the conduit and an intermediate rubber or other flexible gasket 63which covers the enlarged outer end of the rubber liner sections and theflange 59 on the casing sections at this point, the arrangement beingsuch as to force and hold '4 the parts in such secure and fluid-ti htmanner as to prevent the leakage of flllld to the space between thebacking plates of the liner sections and the inner wall of the casing,

As indicated,efi'ective fluid-ti ht closure of the space between theliner an the casing wall, at the tubular portion of the casing at theinner side thereof, is secured by embedding the beveled end of thetubular portion of the backing in the rubber liner, a rubber or similarresilient gasket being inserted and held between the end of the rubberliner and the inner end of the stufing box 28.

During the normal operation of the pump, the impeller is rotated withinthe casing, 1W thereby causing the impeller vanes to de= liver fluidinto the discharge chamber 6 from which the fluid is discharged throughthe tangential discharge conduit 7. The fluid thus passing through theimpeller is do livered from the suction passage 5 directl against theend of the impeller hub whic is formed to deflect the flow and to directthe water toward the impeller vanes, The soft rubber liner sections ofthe casing and the coatin 31 of the impeller serve to resist theestructive action of gritty sub stances or chemicals contained in thefluid, upon the pump elements. The protective liner sections and thecoatin on the im-" H5 pellei' may be readily replace when worn, freeaccess to the interior of the pump for purpose of. inspection or removalof coated elements being efiected by removal of the bolts 18 ot thecasin section 2. The adjusting and. removing device for the impeller andits shaft is readily operable from. the exterior of the pump casing andentirely avoids the necessity of puncturing or pertorating the coating31 of the impeller. it will be apparent that the adjustablev mounting ofthe mpeller on the shaft enables rapiid adjustment and r'emovalot theimpe er and permits the latter, to be entirely removed withoutnecessitating removal of r se ldll

the shaft 9 or the sleeve 35. This sleeve, moreover, provides efficientprotection for that portion of the shaft located within the sleeve.

It will be a parent, that the invention claimed is not hmited to theexact details of construction shown and described, for obviousmodifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a pump, the combination of a casing having inlet and outletopenings, a protective lining for the interior ofsaid casing comprisinga soft, resilient facing, and a relatively thin metal. backing therefor,said metal backing at one of said openings terminating short of saidrubber facing and having its end embedded in said rubber facing.

2. In a pump, a casing having a tubular portion, a protective lining forthe interior of said casing comprising a relatively soft resilientfacing, and a relatively stiff backing therefor, said backingterminating short of the end of said resilient facing at said tubularportion, and means detachably secured to said casing at said tubularportion thereof and cooperative with the terminal portion of saidresilient facing to cause the latter to assist in producing afluid-tight seal for the space between said casing and said lining.

3. In a pump, the combination of a casing having inlet and outletopenings, a protective llning for the interior of said casing comprisinga soft, resilient facing, and a relatively thin metal backing therefor,said metal backing at one of said openings terminating short of saidrubber facing with said rubber facing extending across the end of saidbacking.

4. In a pump for pumping abrasive material, the combination of a casinghaving inlet and outlet openings and communicating conduits therefor, aprotective lining for the interior of said casing comprising arelatively soft and resilient facin and a relatively thin sheet metalbacking therefor, said backing terminating short of and embedded in theend portions of said resilient facing at said inlet and outlet openings,and means for detachably securing said conduits to said casing in afluid-tight manner, said securing means being effective to cause saidresilient facing to seal the space between said casing and said lineragainst the entrance of liquid thereto.

In testimony whereof, the signature of the inventor is affixed hereto.

NOAH W. HUMPHREY.

